CNSA vs NASA: The new space race?

China, in matters both domestic and international, has always marched to the beat of its own drum. Part of this independence relates to the country's tumultuous relationship with the numerous western powers -- by whom it was once occupied. A second factor is that China's governing party -- namely the Chinese Communist Party -- does not need to ask for the public's opinion. The leaders of China can declare goals, regardless of public support or dissent, even during times of economic uncertainty. So, to many, it comes as no surprise that the Chinese are pursuing their own plans toward space exploration. There are a number of reasons for this -- some economic and some military -- but the largest reason is because the United States has given them little choice but to forge their own path.

China decided to build its own space station after it was not invited to join the other 16 countries that make up the International Space Station, launched in 1998. The US had a large role in this exclusion due to concerns over sharing information and technology with a rival country, which is interesting considering it had no issues working with Russia. Regardless, despite this and other obstacles, China became the third country to send a man into space in 2003. As part of their "Five Year Plan" the Chinese have announced their intent to put a person on the moon by 2020. Of course, the United States accomplished this decades earlier, but China's landing would be the first in 40 years since the Apollo 17 in 1972.

Forty years is a very long time for any country to rest on their laurels. NASA, despite the immediate military needs of the state, retired the Space Shuttle program in 2011. The retirement of the shuttle in tandem with economic uncertainty in the United States has pushed the popularity of space exploration to an all time low. In response, NASA has partnered with private companies -- such as SpaceX -- to devise new technologies that can assist the United States with its strategic defense goals while creating an environment of competition that fosters innovation and advancement. The Chinese government has strong support from its citizens in all areas of space exploration, especially the goal of the moon landing. These factors -- along with history -- have created a tense environment between the United States and China which is reflected in the countries' respective spending priorities and design philosophies.

Many, in particular those who study geo-political theory, view the ongoing space competition between the United States and China to be somewhat representative of a new "space race" with many similarities to the historic space race between the US and USSR. This is somewhat an inaccurate perspective.

The Chinese, because of their expertise in reverse engineering, are pragmatic. Most of their space research focuses on mastering applied feats of technical engineering which can have immediate benefits for the state. For example, many of the technologies they are publicly touting regarding their own mission to land on the moon are based on previously implemented US and USSR designs that are 40 to 50 years old. While this doesn't necessarily make for a great press conference, it does make for sound engineering architectures that have already been proven dependable.

In terms of research and development, the US and China have significant differences. The budget released by President Obama this year allots $8 billion to space programs, but most of the recent space exploration in the US has been privately funded by programs like SpaceX. The China National Space Administration (CNSA), the Chinese equivalent of NASA, is comprised of the departments of General Planning, System Engineering, Science, Technology and Quality Control, and Foreign Affairs. Its budget is around $1.3 billion. To contrast, NASA is headquartered in Washington, DC, and according to its website the organization has "ten field centers and a variety of installations [that] conduct the day-to-day work, in laboratories, on air fields, in wind tunnels and in control rooms." It is comprised of three mission directorates: Aeronautics, Human Exploration and Operations, and Science. NASA's official budget is $17.8 billion.

China plans to launch its first manned mission to its Tiangong-1 space station later this month. The Shenzhou 9 capsule will carry three astronauts and dock with the station, which has been orbiting Earth unmanned since it was launched in September. The Tiangong-1 is a prototype space station and laboratory that is meant to test the technologies that will go into the much larger Tiangong-2, which is currently in development. It is expected to launch in 2020.

The ongoing developments in space exploration, in particular achievements between the United States and China, are just becoming news fodder for the various political and military factions within both countries. The Chinese will continue to advance at a slow but steady rate, accumulating manned missions to other celestial bodies including Mars and the Moon. The United States government will continue to disperse its efforts among numerous defense contractors and private corporations with a focus on high-visibility theoretical research. This research is geared toward addressing deficiencies with our already existing over-engineered solutions and creating new opportunities for strategic superiority in space. Due to the vast differences in both intent and approach, direct comparisons between the technologies used by both counties to meet their ambitious space goals are superficial at best and misleading at worst. The future of space is wide open, but in this particular case, how we get there may actually be determined more by technology and innovation than politics.